Title
Public Hearing on the Exercise of Eminent Domain by the City of Olympia for the Fones Road Improvement Project
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Hold a public hearing on the exercise of eminent domain by the City of Olympia for the Fones Road Improvement Project.
Report
Issue:
Whether to hold a public hearing on the exercise of eminent domain by the City of Olympia for the Fones Road Improvement Project.
Staff Contact:
Jim Rioux, Project Manager, Public Works Engineering, 360.753.8484
Presenter(s):
Mark Russell, P.E., Interim Public Works Director
Kinnon Williams, Foster Garvey PC
Background and Analysis:
The Project
Fones Road is a critical corridor directly serving commercial, industrial, and residential properties in east Olympia. The condition of the street is poor, sidewalks are scarce, they are neither contiguous nor accessible to people with disabilities, there are no bicycle facilities, and the only marked crosswalk on the half mile corridor between Pacific and 18th Avenues is at the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail. The trail crossing also needs safety improvements.
Public Works has progressed the design of Fones Road to the 90% level of completion, and it has initiated acquisition of the right-of-way needed to build and later maintain the project. The project design includes, among many features, paths on both sides of the street with dedicated space for pedestrians and bicyclists that will be separated from the travel lanes. These will be the first separated bicycle lanes in our region. The planned access control, roundabout, decreased operating speed, and raised trail crossing will make Fones Road safer and more accessible for everyone who uses it, whether walking, bicycling, or driving.
Approximately 5,000 people live within a half mile, or a ten-minute walk, of Fones Road. Those who live on the east side of it are in a Census Tract that has been designated as a "Histori...
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